Accidental Discharge Experience

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ThrottleJockey

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:eek:Hello all. I just had the worst experience of my life, and wanted to share. I would also like to know if anyone else has ever had anything similar happen.
Here it goes:
I have owned firearms for 30+ of my 37 years here on this world. I had never had an accidental discharge in my life. About two weeks ago, I finally received my carry permit, and ran out and bought the Springfield XD.45 that I wanted to use for this purpose. I loaded it, and thought since it was a carry piece that it should have a round in the chamber(I have never left a round chambered before, just feel it isn't a good practice). Well, I am a truck driver, and was called out almost immediately after loading the gun. I put it in the safe and hit the road. When I got home today, I opened the safe and removed the gun. Completely forgetting both the chambered round, and my unfamiliarity with this gun. Needless to say, this irresponsible act resulted in an unintentional discharge putting my family potentially in harms way:what:. I feel like the scum of the earth that the antis are always harping about for numerous reasons, even though I know I am not. There will never be another chambered round in any of my weapons until I am ready to use it. I just don't know of any other way to prevent this from being a possibility again. I am sorry for being so long winded, please offer any personal experiences, words of encouragement/discouragement you may have. It may take a lifetime to get over this. Thank you.:eek:
 
You did not tell us what happened to cause the pistol to fire. Did you point at something thinking you were dry firing or did you just press the trigger to feel the click? Perhaps you could expand?

In any case, smacked hand, don't do it again.
 
I'm the same way, I'll carry with a full clip, but un-chambered. You will get a lot of guys here say that gun is useless that way, but I think that's crap. How long does it take you to chamber the round if you need it, maybe a second? Then you are in business.
 
Wow. Glad no one was hurt. That is scary. I make it a habit to check the chamber of every piece I hold...every time. (guns are always loaded, guns are always loaded, guns are always loaded) I'm paranoid about it.
Joe
 
So long as you followed the gun safety rules, risk was minimal. It wasn't pointed at a person, so barring your aiming it at the floor, ceiling or a wall with a person behind it, the likely consequence was a big bang and a small mess.

Back around Christmastime another poster here related the story of how either he or his father was dry-snapping a .45, and stopped, replaced the loaded mag, racked the sline, and then returned absent-mindedley to dry-snapping, with the gun aimed at a ceramic Santa Claus. Blew Santa to pieces. Embarrassing but not likely lethal, barring overpenetration and unfortunate coincidental location.
 
Human beings are imperfect and we make mistakes.

We try to learn from our mistakes and not repeat them.

I did the same thing about 30 years ago with an auto pistol. Forgot to check the chamber. Blew a hole in the bedroom wall.

Note that it's been 30 years since I made that mistake with no further incidents.

Beating yourself up over the matter won't help.
 
Unfamiliarty is just an excuse. Its either loaded or its not. Don't mean to be harsh but....
Thas just how it is. If your gonna keep your weapons that way, please make sure YOU are the only one accesible (sp?) to them. Crap happens, I almost lost a toe once. It ain't much to some but I am glad it was a miss. Good luck and be SAFE..
 
Its pretty simple, if you treat all guns as being loaded and you check them every time before you dry fire, something like this can't really happen. Unsafe practices will only make it a little bit harder to ND without a round in a the chamber. Keeping the chamber clear is no substitute for poor safety practices, since its just going to set you up for another ND in the future (Pulled trigger, BANG!.. What the hell, I never keep a round in the chamber, not something you want).
 
blasted off a round of mil-spec 00 buck in doors once.

youll get over it.

I like to joke if your going to disregard the rules, at least follow one, dont point it at anything you like!


"I'm the same way, I'll carry with a full clip, but un-chambered. You will get a lot of guys here say that gun is useless that way, but I think that's crap. How long does it take you to chamber the round if you need it, maybe a second? Then you are in business."

If I need said weapon I need it NOW. I recently posted an account of a CCW carrier dropping a bad guy after he was beaten badly with a big stick, breaking one of his arms in the process.

Think he would have had a chance to chamber a round?
 
All guns are always loaded.

Nothing wrong with a chambered round, in fact its the smartest way to carry!

You have just conditioned yourself to unloaded guns - not the best gun training...

glad to hear nobody hurt!

to each his own, but I carry chambered....and all guns are always loaded until I know they are not.
 
You will get a lot of guys here say that gun is useless that way, but I think that's crap. How long does it take you to chamber the round if you need it, maybe a second?
Click to expand...

Yeah...about a second if you're good and practice...but of course that is one more second that you add to your draw, aim, and fire time.

Carrying without one in the chamber ignores reality. Last time I checked, police officers carry one in the pipe...



Mr. ThrottleJockey, I'm glad you and your family are safe.

Always remember rule number 1 - treat every gun like it is loaded...always...no exceptions.

That hand-slapping out of the way, as others said, don't beat yourself up. Just count yourself lucky and what happened a lesson learned.
 
I blasted off a round of 22-250 into the door if my truck not too long ago. Scared the crap out of me, lesson learned. It will never happen again. Not to mention the trigger is set at about 2 pounds also.
 
"Yeah...about a second if you're good and practice...but of course that is one more second that you add to your draw, aim, and fire time."

yup, if your not commando from israel, I suggest keeping one in the pipe
 
Well, I wasn't pointing it at anything or anyone. Pointed towards the floor. I wasn't dry firing or anything like that, I just wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and had my finger inside the trigger guard. I am not going to try to make excuses, or place blame anywhere other than on myself. I see both views behind chambered round and no chambered round, and agree, a chambered round could save me some day. But until then, I will keep the chamber empty and just be glad I have the gun. That's better than not having it.
 
==> I just don't know of any other way to prevent this from being a possibility again.


Sure ya do. We all know it. Rule #1: "The gun is *always* loaded ... even when it's not."

We have these rules because ... well ... it's the only way to stay safe. We all know it. You know it too -- ya just had a momentary lapse. As long as you're following the other rules ("Keep pointed in a safe direction", etc.) you'll do alright. That's why we have these rules. A fallback. If rule #1 fails, rule #2 takes over. You've basically gotta screw up all the rules in order for someone to get hurt unintentionally.
 
reason number 1 thru 100 why I would not carry an auto with a safety.

I would also like to point out this was not an AD, it was a ND.
 
I ment to say with out.


AD happend from things you have no control over. you had control over your finger.
 
Glad to hear no one was hurt. Even people that have been around guns, and are familiar with them sometimes have accidents. Remember the 3 cardinal rules of gun safety. # 1 Always treat a gun as it is loaded. (never assume that someone has not messed with it since you saw it last) # 2 Never let the muzzle of the gun cross the path of something you are not willing to destroy (or kill) (always keep it pointed in a safe direction). # 3 Always be sure of your target and what is beyond it. (even when dry firing, have a bulletproof backstop) Oh and #4 ALWAYS adhere to the first 3 rules.
 
Yeah, Last Week

I bought a bucket of lead RN for my 9mm from a local shop. During a session at an indoor range I experienced a misfire. I cocked and dropped the hammer several times with no result. At that point I dropped the mag, rolled the firearm left side up in my right hand, muzzle carefully pointed down range. I shifted the gun to my left hand began working the slide to eject the round and ended up "accidentally" sent the round down range.

A cold sweat and upset stomach ensued. I DQ'd myself and went home.

On inspecting the remaining 1100 round in the bunch, I found about a dozen bullets from a different mold, the rounds seated about 0.007" over max OAL.

It appears that working the slide eventually seated the round allowing the sear to fall and the hammer when my mishandling the gun with my left hand got something into the trigger

I followed half my training so no one got hurt but....

It CAN happen to you.

Scott
 
Therefore, there was absolutely nothing accidental about this incident!! At best it was a negligent discharge based on careless procedures and ignorance of the gun's mechanics.
Too many people are buying guns for self protection without a clue about how they work. They think they are buying peace of mind, when in fact they are setting the stage for a tragedy.
 
4 rules

all guns are always loaded

on target on trigger

gonna go with that you wanted to destroy the floor--

were you sure of what was beyond the floor?

you broke 1 rule--except for the ringing in your ears and a mess to clean, the other 3 rules saved everyone--THIS TIME. I'm gonna bet there will not be a next time.
as for not chambering a round; enough has been said in that regard and i agree. if you are going to gamble your life--and the lives of your loved ones on that 1 second--than carry a revolver.
even if you have 1 second, suppose you have a mis-feed. be it mechanical or stress induced, you now have a thrower instead of a gun.

train more. perhaps leave a pencil next to the gun in the safe so you can physically check the bbl safely. once is a heck of a wake up call--and it is negligent, not accidental. now that you have analyzed the 'how' , correct and move on
 
I just don't buy that you have to have one chambered at all times or you will die. Man, that's paranoia gone a little too far. Like I said, what does it take, 1 second to chamber a round? It takes longer than that just to get to the concealed weapon.
 
Welcome to THR ThrottleJockey,

No need to keep kicking yourself, sounds like you learned the hard way to follow the 4 Rules. Nobody was hurt and you probably will never do that again.

Lot's of us have had Negligent Discharges (I have), very few of us are man or woman-enough to admit it.
 
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